Windshield wiper



Aug. 19, 1941. F, D HART 2,253,029

' l wINDsHIELD wIPER Filed June 14, 1939 WM, l @dw @QM, @ML f4/Ml my n aw@ Qfzga Patented Aug. 19, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE wINDsHIELD WIPER Frederick n. nm, Middlesboro, xy. Application June 14, 1939, Serial No. 279,024

(o1. vs -253) 4 Claims.

' This invention relates to improvements in windshield wiper appliances for automobiles and more especially to actuating means therefor. The main objects of the invention are to. provide an improved form of wiper and operating means; to provide for vertical rectilinear movement of a horizontal Iwiper over substantially the entire face of the windshield; to minimize the power requirements for operation; to provide automatic motivating means therefor adapted to render the Wiper effective on its downward stroke and substantially free on its upward stroke; to provide means of substantially similar design at each end of the windshield for operating the wiper; to provide thus for both raising and lowering the wiper and for tilting the wiper alternately out of and into contact with the windshield as it operates; to connect these lateral means operatively to a common source of motive power; and to provide such an equipment of simple design and adapted to be made and maintained at low cost.

f This invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawing in which:

rFigure 1 is a front elevation of the windshield and wiper, together with the adjacent part of the car, as viewed from the outside. the wiper being fully raised.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged view of the gear mounting plate and apparatus thereon, viewed from the front of the car, as shown by dotted lines on Fig. 1, but apart from the vehicle, the

operating gear being in position corresponding with the dotted view of the wiper on Fig-2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective upward-movement view of the right end of the wiper as viewed from outside the car and as indicated at the right side of Fig 1. with associated carrier mounting and operating connections.

Fig.` 7 is a substantially vertical axial section through the right end of the wiper and corre.. sponding carrier mounting, as viewed in Fig. 1 on a vertical axial plane in front of and parallel with the windshield, reference being had to line 'I-l on Fig. 6. Y

' Fig. 8 is a horizontal section taken on line 8-8 Fig. v9 is acircuit diagram 'illustrating the tion in Figure 1, has a windshield 2 which 1s equipped with my improved wiper indicated at 3, This Wiper is carried on a pair of lateral upright car-supported guides 4 which are engaged slidably by Wiper end carriers 5. Said guides 4 have convergently curved extension guide members 6 and 1 `respectively which lead to a centrally disposed oscillatory drive Wheel or drum 8 which they approachtsomewhat diagonally on opposite sides and about tangentially, as will be more fully explained, right guide 6 at the top and left guide 1 at the bottom thereof. Said wheel 8 is pivotally mounted at 8' on a gearsupporting plate 9 attached to the interior of the car beneath the windshield, as indicated by dotted lines on Fig. 1. l

Operating energy is supplied to the wiper 3 by means of resilient flexible rods or cables I0 -and I Il' disposed in the-lateral guides 4 and in their extensions 6 and 'l respectively. The upper ends of these cablesare xed to said carriers 5 respectively on which the wiper is pivotally supported; and the lower converging ends are secured to diametrically opposite xed points on and adjacent the periphery of wheel 8, which is laterally grooved at I3 and I4 to receive the inner end parts of said cables Ill and I 0 as they Wind on wheel 8 for lowering the wiper 3. From these grooves I3 and I4 they unwind by reverse rotation of wheel 8 for raising said Wiper by upward push on its end supports or carriers 5.

Each carrier 5 is made in two main parts and comprises U-shaped oblong member I6 to which a vcorresponding cable I0 is attached as at Il and a relatively movable block I8 having an arm I9 on which the wiper is pivoted as at20. The U-member I6 comprises a pair of solid heads 22 and 23 ntting in a guide 4, one above the other, a U-shaped at connecting body 24 having Aa pair of ngers 30 and 3| disposed one above the other for tilting the wiper 3, an edge of which is disposed loosely therebetween.

'I'he tubular guides 4 are slotted at 4' to accommodate the carrier parts I9 and 24. 45

U-arms 28 and 29 are long enough to give clearance between the connecting part 30 and the guide 4 to accommodate the forwardly turned arm I9 of carrier block-I8.

There is also lvertical clearance between the U-heads (22 and '23) and the intermediate carrler block I8 so as to accommodate movement lag in member I8 relative to member I6. Such lag is further assured by the friction brake pin 32 carried by' member I8. (See Figf'.) Here the pin 32 is urged outward from block socket The space between the upper and lower heads l 22 and 23 of the U-frame I6 is such as to assure relative movement of said members I@ and I3 suiiicient to oscillate the wiper 3 on its pivots 20 by alternate forced contact with the two vertically spaced pins or ngers 30 and 3l on the U-rnember I6. Pin 30'pulls the wiper against the glass and pin 3| pushes it away.

Referring now more in det-ail to the winding disc or drum 8 and its related mechanism, it is to be observed that the cable guides 6 and 'l terminate substantially in discoidal shields or guide. plate rings 3E and 31 respectively, held rigidly adjacent to and substantially against the front and back sides of the drum 8, but in substantially frictionless relation thereto. The guide tubes 6 and 1 are joined diagonally at 5f and 1to these plates as best shown in Fig. 3. These annular shields 36 and 31 are secured rigidly to the mounting plate 9 by connectors 38 and 39 respectively.

The winding grooves I3 and I4 are of suiiiicient length to accommodate winding of the corresponding cables without overlap upon lowering the wiper 3.

' lowering said wiper, it is geared, as follows, to

a battery motor 4I also located under the windshield. Said motor has a. worm 42 xed on its shaft 43; and this. worm coacts with a worm wheel 44 pivoted on the back of plate 9, at the right side of drum 8, as viewed in Fig. 31. Another wheel 45 on the front side of plate 9, is iixed on the same pivot 44' with wormwheel 44. This wheel 45 has a. crankpin 46 :appro` priately spaced from itsaxis for driving the T-rack 41 also mounted on plate 3.

This rack is cross-shaped and comprises a toothed horizontal part 48 with a medial cross part 49, the latter having a vertical slot 50 to receive said crankpn 46 for reciprocating said rack horizontally in its guiding supports 55| and 52 nxed on plate 9. The teeth 54 of said rack part engage a pinion 55 fixed on the pivot pin 8 whereon drum 8 is keyed at 59. Operation of the motor in either direction rotates the wheels 44 and 45, and the resultant revolution of crankpin 46 oscillates the rack 41 horizontally. Movement of said rack to the left, on Fig. 3 raises the wiper and movement to the right pulls it down, as will be apparent.

Whenever itis desired to operate the wiper, the driver starts themotor 4I by appropriate manual switching means, not shown. The motor then transmits its power through shaft 431, worm 42, wormwheel 44, pivot 44', wheel 45, crankpin 46, rack 41, pinion 55, pivot 8', and drum 3, the movement of drum 8 being oscillatory by reason lof the crankpin 46 causing the rack 41 to reciprocate.

Assuming that the cables I andy I0 are entirely unwound and projected to raise the wiper to its topmost position, the initial movement will b e rotation of the drum 8 to the left orcounbring-its effective wiping edge-against the wind# shield. A further downward movement of the carrier part I6 will cause its upper head 23 to bear against the pivot member I8 and thereupon the wiper will be forced downwardly over the face of the windshield.

When the downward limit is reached, vthe wiper is ready for reverse movement and thecables III and I0 will then begin to unwind from head to bear against the pivot member, whereupon the wiper as a whole will begin to move upwardly. This will continue until it is fully raised and then the same cycle of operation will be repeated and will so continue until the operator stops the motor.

It will be noted that this mode of operation permits the energy of the motor to be directed to wiping eiect on downward movement of the wiper and lifting action alone on the upward movement. This permits eiiicient use -of a smaller sized motor than would otherwisebe required.

In order to assure stopping of the motor when the wiper has completed its movement downward and upward and so leave the wiper at the top of the windshield, electrical connections are provided as shown in the circuit diagram, Fig. 9. Here the motor circuit is normally open. When the operator closes switch 6I current will flow from the battery 62 through lead 63, switch 6I, lead 64, motor 4l and lead 55 back to thebattery.

- Normally when the wiper is at rest atthe top of the windshield Ythe spring switch 10 is'held open by the tip 41' of rack member 41. Then, as the rack moves tothe right as viewed on Fig. 3, it releases switch 10 which automatically closes on Contact 1I. As soon as the motor starts and switch 10 is closed the operator` releases and opens switch 5I whereupon current flows past switch 6I, ythe circuit now being from battery 62, through lead 63, lead 12, contact 1I, switch 10, lead 64, motor 4I and lead 65 back to the battery.

The motor continues to operate on this latter circuit until the rack completes its forward and backward movement. When it reaches the end of its travel to the left as shown in Fig. 4, it

operates to open spring switch 1li as apparent from Fig. 9.v The motor then stops and remains at rest until the operator again closes switch 6I when the down and up sweep of the wiper is repeated.

It is to beunderstoodthat someof the details set forth may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this .invention as defined by the following claims. f I claim:

1. A windshield wiper device of the class described comprising a pair of lateral guides secured adjacent the windshield, a vertically operable wiper slidably mounted on said guides, carrier means at each end by which said wiper is supported on said guides and automatic means to raise and lower said carrier means, said carrier means each comprising two relatively mov ableparts one in lag relation to the other and on one of which the wiper is pivotally mounted 'for oscillation into and out of contact with the wind- 2,253,029 shield and the other having vertically spaced pins to engage the endsoi the wiper above and, below for tilting it away from the windshield on upward movement" and oppositely on downward movement..

2. A device oi' the class described. comprising a pair of appropriately spaced vertical guideways in combination with a windshield wiper disposed therebetween and in operative relation thereto, a carrier therefor at each end, each said carrier comprising a free-sliding U-shaped member having spaced pins to operate alternately against the upper and lowex sides of the windshield wiper to tilt the same, and another member disposed slidably and in friction retard relation to its guideway and between the arms of the'U-memberv 3. A windshield wiper equipment comprising.

on one side a' vertical tubular guideway having a longitudinal slot on its side in combination with a carrier including a center body frictionally slidable in said guideway and provided with an of vertically-spaced pins between which the ends of the wiper are receivable for tilting by said .U- member when the carrier is raised and lowered by force applied to said U-member. v

4.1n a device of the class described, a pair of windshield wiper end supports each comprising a two-part carrier including a block whereon said wiper is pivoted and a U-member having heads disposed .in spaced relation one over the other on the ends. of the U-arms, and means whereby said U-menibers areraised and lowered, the block in each carrier being irictionally retarded and movable vertically between the heads of .the U-member, and the latter-"having means' thereon for engaging the wiper to tilt lthe same larm extending through Said slot on which arm 

